Thundag Rawcrag, Champion of the Arena
"As long as Thundag has BamBam, world is crab" -Thundag History Thundag was born into a harsh life. Born son of Gragnar, a half-giant orc, and Lilian, a human woman who was bred during one of the many raids of the "Thunderbreaker" tribe of the Cinderlands, Thundag did not have an ideal childhood. When he was born the tribal shaman predicted he would not live past the age of three upon his birth and carved the Blessing of the Berserker into his skull in an effort to combat this fate. On the night of Thundag's 3rd birthday his father, in a crazed fit of rage, entered Thundag's tent and attempted to gut him like a pig as a sacrifice to Nulgreth, almost spilling his viscera on the floor, the only thing saving Thundag, the quick intervention of the tribe's shaman healing him. By the age of 5 he was regularly beaten by his father for the act of being a half-orc, by age 10 he was nearly beheaded for merely walking past his father and not bowing deep enough to show enough "respec'" to his father. At the age of 14 Thundag's father pitted him against his good friend's son, Throkk, in in an armed duel to the death, fully expecting his son to be murdered by the orc with much more combat experience. When Thundag emerged from the fray and the dust was cleared, he was bloodied and gored, but alive and with the other orc's crushed skull in his hands. Gragnar did not react well to this outcome. After brutally breaking both of his sons legs as punishment for killing his good friend's son, Gragnar sold his son into slavery, terming it "an opportunity to make new friends". Not long after being sold into slavery, Thundag realized what his father had done to him and, harnessing the rage he felt, escaped from the slavers into the plains nearby. After learning to survive on these plains for several years, he came across a small farmstead under attack by bandits that had been razed to the ground. As he was approaching he saw that the bandits had a small child shackled in chains nearby. He immediately had flashbacks to the betrayal of his father. Consumed utterly by rage and urged on by the voice of the Blessing, he ripped the bandits apart limb from limb before encountering the child, who on closer inspection was a young girl Fighting the voices in his head demanding blood, Thundag realized what was happening in front of him as the small child looked at him in fear. Realizing how monstrous he must have appeared he dismissed his rage through the shock. He stooped to the child and asked if they were ok. He found that the small child was Dalia, the 4 year old daughter of the former owners of the razed farmhouse who lay dead on the ground, butchered by the bandits for fun. He picked her up in a hug and, after she stopped squirming, said "You are Thundag's family now. You are safe" to which she responded to with a burst of tears. He and Dalia traveled for months across the farmlands with Thundag quickly regarding her as his daughter and treating her as such, and receiving similar affection in return. After these months of travel they encountered an older couple after sunset who called them over and asked the odd pair why they were traveling alone and if they wanted supper. At this, Dalia clung to Thundag's leg and gave looked in fear at Thundag. Thundag simply grinned immediately setting the couple on edge due to the crazed look in his eye and the scars on his face from his father and accepted the offer, picking Dalia up and bringing her inside. Seeing that he was no threat to them, the couple relaxed but were still wary. They asked Thundag who he was and why he was traveling with a small girl. After Thundag recalled his past and upbringing to them, the the old woman asked what his mother's name was. After replying "Lilian" the woman burst out crying and the husband hugged him tightly. Thundag was incredibly confused by the reaction and by the action they called hugging. When they were asked why the wife replied "Lilian was our daughter. You're our grandson," while dripping with tears. Thundag reeled with shock after being told the news and hugged them both in one giant bear hug sobbing the whole time. The small child was introduced who the couple was surprised to hear Thundag call her as his daughter before accepting her as one of their own blood. Afterwards, Thundag helped rebuild the farmhouse that Thomas and Gerda, his Grandfather and Grandmother respectively, had lived in for much of their lives. Thundag lived with his grandparents and aunt for several years as they taught him what they knew about human society and etiquette. In return, Thundag helped around the farm and defended it from bandit attacks. During one such attacks he was almost killed by the leader of one such attack with an Earthbreaker. Thundag ripped it from his grasp and beat him to death with it. After that attack Thundag christened the hammer Bam-Bam and it never left his side since. After his stay at the farmhouse Thundag felt as though he needed to repay his grandparents for providing for him and giving him a loving environment and family. He announced that he was going to the nearest city, Magnamar, in order to send money back with Dalia who was now old enough taking care of his ailing grandparents. After much thought, his grandparents allowed him this freedom and sent him on his way with their blessing. Enroute to Magnamar, Thundag was approached by a shady, hooded individual who was decidedly goblin shaped and was asked if he wanted to make more money than he had ever dreamed of in battle and be free to fight as much as he wanted. Urged on heavily by the voices of bloodlust in his head he agreed and everything went dark as a foul-smelling rag covered his nose and mouth from behind. As he came to, he found himself chained once more with the goblin in front of him unhooded. "So you like to fight do ya? Well we got plenty of that for you here big boy! Welcome to the ARENAAAAA!!" screamed the goblin. Enslaved as a gladiator for the underground arena in Magnamar, Thundag fought for years accruing scars and wounds beyond measure. After these blood filled years, he was told he was going to be shipped across the sea to fight in a foreign land. During the sea voyage the galleon that held him hit a strange storm. The lightning was an extreme violet and the clouds dropped green fire from the sky. When he saw the chance, Thundag ripped free of his chains and grabbing his iconic weapon, BamBam. With it, he slaughtered the guards that held him captive and jumped into a nearby lifeboat. The lifeboat quickly capsized in the churning waters and Thundag found himself washed among the shores of a strange horrific land with a grizzled man waking him. It was Douglas. Douglas brought him to his inn and gave him a small amount of clothing. While Thundag recovered, Douglas explained where he was. Thundag took this news with sadness and became determined to get back to his grandparents and daughter. Thundag has led an interesting life since he washed up on the shores of the Reach. The amount of times he has gone close to death's door while reducing an enemy into paste is almost to the point where it is iconic for his adventures. Through his hard work and a drunken promise he became the Grand Diplomat of Tortuga, and has become both the proud owner of The Diplomancy Smorc and Dine in Tortuga. Not too long after, Thundag was accepted into the DragonWood family after he consumed the heart of a White dragon gaining the aspects of a Copper Dragon due to the intervention of some unknown being. On his 26th birthday Thundag was treated to a surprise celebration in Elysium. This led to a series of glorious fights commentated on by someone named Mr. Torgue in The Arena of Gorum where he was named "Thundag of the Iron Hand, Champion of the Arena" by Gorum upon his victory. During his more recent escapades, he has aided stopping a titanic asteroid elemental before it could crash into Tortuga as well as stopping the summoning of Lucifer in Ragna-rock, earning the title of "TRUE METAL WARRIOR". Kane's Death Watching Kane's death at the hands of the Scarecrow while being powerless to stop it, broke the last remnants of restraint Thundag had over his rage. While he may appear to be back to normal after his first bout with grief, he currently feels nothing but a desire for bloody, bloody vengeance and war against the Scarecrow combined with a mixture of fear and frustration towards his close friends and family becoming the targets of things he can't protect them from no matter what he does. In response to his initial uncontrollable rage, Thundag teleported to Elysium and slaughtered thousands of warriors during the Iron Citadel's tradition of honoring the past glories and battles fought. This earned him the right to call upon their spirits to aid him in battle via an adamantine war horn given to him by Temperbrand. This event, along with Magoza's disappearance to another plane, drove him to adopt his goddaughter Lilian, Kane and Magoza's adopted daughter. Even though he feels some happiness when around her and wants nothing but the best possible for her, he can't shake his mounting rage towards the Scarecrow and does his best to hide it from her, to give her something solid to hold onto as her world is torn from its hinges and set askew. He and Magoza, after she returned from the Maelstrom, felt that the best place for Lilian to grow up safe and free was Hope's Redoubt, sending her off under Ashlynn's care not long after Magoza came back. The Aftermath Due to the sacrifice of the Champions of the Apocalypse, the Four Horsemen, Rulers of Abbadon, were called into the Material plane and slaughtered most of the city of Caeth Shaeras. After weeks of planning and attempting to earn the support of the Kingdom of Bane Jor, the army of Hope's Redoubt led by Ashlynn, battalions of wizards and clerics from the Crystal Cities led by Cadence, Thomas McGee, and the army of souls slain on the fields of Elysium led by Thundag clashed with the Armies of the Horsemen in an effort to stop a ritual that would have fused Abbadon with the material plane. Upon their victory, Ora raised the souls of those who had fallen or been slain by the Horsemen, restoring the city of Caeth Shaeras to something of its glory before the war. As a reward for the sacrifices and efforts in battle, Thundag and the other leaders were named Lords and Ladies respectively in the walls of Caeth Shaeras. Appearance Thundag is a behemoth of a half-orc. Standing at around 7 and a half feet tall before being enlarged, it's clear that the giant blood of his father had some influence in his growth. His heavily muscled body is covered in brutal scars from head to toe on his greyish-green copper scaled covered body from his years of fighting in the arena along with the time spent fighting in the Reach. In an experience he has no wish to repeat, his left eye was replaced with a crimson crystalline version of itself, causing him to adopt the practice of covering it with an toughened leather eye-patch most days in order not to frighten people. Most days he can be found wearing a simple short-sleeved shirt, modified for his wings, and a modified version of his old leather kilt that he wore when he first arrived. As for armor, he prefers his trusted suit of enchanted Mithril Full plate that's served him for well for the time he's been on the Reach. In battle, Thundag cloaks himself with lightning and unholy power while flying headfirst at the biggest enemy he can find, be they behind a wall or allies, and attempts to tear them limb from limb. Personality Thundag is no longer slow-witted but takes it upon himself to be kind. He is always willing to receive a new ally, in both battle and life, and when he meets them you best watch out for one of his bear hugs. People who he considers friends are his friends for life as far as he is concerned. He considers them family and defends them in battle as much; going to incredible lengths for them no matter the situation. Friends As he stays longer in the Reach Thundag has gained more friends, including Alric Uther- A Green Paladin who befriended him during his beginning days at the city of Fiend's Reach and the current Councillor of Tortuga. Kane Dragonwood- A young human wizard who became Thundag's adopted younger brother and one of his closest allies after several escapades with him and Julius DragonWood and the impetus for his want for war with the Scarecrow (now deceased) Julius DragonWood- Kane's brother and the current head of the DragonWood household. Thundag has always regarded Julius as one of his closest friends and allies, due to them facing impossible odds and coming out on top. Magoza- Whose ship he sailed on while exploring around the Seas of Fiend's Reach and is now the Pirate Queen of Tortuga and who he views as a little sister. Last he saw her, she carried Kane's lifeless body off to her ship and left out of grief. Ashlynn- The High Priestess of Tortuga as well as one of the Queen's of Hope's Redoubt who helped Thundag with some of his past mental trauma regarding his daughter. Cadence Dragonwood- The alternate version of Kane Dragonwood and the Viceroy of the Crystal Cities currently under construction. Thundag has taken a fondness to her after Kane's death, making him realize the short time he has left to spend with his family. Minori Saito- While he may have disagreements with the kitsune regarding her research, he knows her heart is in a good place after fighting along side her several times and regards her among his close friends. Dalia Rawcrag- His adopted daughter and his current focus in life. He is extremely protective of her and wants to make up for the time they spent forcefully separated. Enemies He has sworn eternal vengeance and war against the Nameless One, otherwise known as the Scarecrow, for killing his adopted brother, Kane Dragonwood. "I WILL BREAK YOU TILL THERE IS NOTHING LEFT!"- Thundag screaming in rage at the Moon after witnessing Kane's death Aspirations Thundag wishes to get home to see his grandparents one more time before they pass away and continue his life with his adopted daughter. Category:Character